Environmentalists protest against plundering of Armenia’s earth interiors

 July 14, 2011 - 14:41 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - On July 14, a protest rally was organized in front of Armenian Government building, rally participants urging against plundering interiors of Armenia’s earth.

Rally organizers protest against mining companies, who, while earning huge incomes, are avoiding social responsibility and pollute ecosystem.

“Armenia is turned into a country of free resources for lobbyists, promoting facilitation of mining companies’ activities,” the head of Ecolur NGO Inga Zarafyan told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter.

As the head of Transparency International anti-corruption company in Armenia Sona Ayvazyan stated, Armenian authorities use poor judgement in distributing mining licences, caring nothing about rational use of the earth’s interiors.

“Currently Armenia has 700 mining deposits, with 460 licences issued for their usage. The tendency grows, leading to plundering,” Ms. Ayvazyan explained.